Series 30
|sub1=Character appearances in series 30}} Series 30 is the thirtieth series of Casualty and commenced airing on 29 August 2015. It will contain 43 episodes. The series featured the arrival and departure of foundation doctor Alicia Munroe, portrayed by Chelsea Halfpenny. In December, it saw the arrival of new receptionist Jack Diamond, portrayed by Alistair Brammer. In 2016, Lee Mead as Ben "Lofty" Chiltern left the show, after joining in 2014. In January 2016, Jane Hazlegrove made her final appearance as Kathleen "Dixie" Dixon after almost 10 years on the show. In May, Sunetra Sarker will make her final appearance as Zoe Hanna after over 8 years on the show. The fortieth episode of the series will also be the show's 1000th overall. Series producer Erika Hossington has revealed that an old character will return for the occasion. In addition, she said that for the show's 30th anniversary, there will be multiple crossovers from Holby City characters, but this occasion will fall at the beginning of series 31. In 2016, Casualty was short-listed for the NTA Awards, and various cast members including Michael Stevenson, Charles Venn, Azuka Oforka, Tony Marshall and Hannah Spearritt acted in promotional videos to encourage viewers to vote for Casualty. There will be no full cast photo for series 30 like there was for series 28 and 29. However, a full cast photo will be released for series 31. Three brand new cast members will join in series 30, setting them up for series 31; one in March 2016, one in April, and the final in May. These are a paramedic, nurse and consultant. The paramedic (Jez Andrews) replaced Dixie, and the nurse (David Hide) will replace Lofty. As for the consultant (Elle Gardner), she will be replacing Zoe. However, Zoe's departure may not be for a few months after, as there's been known to be four consultants at once during a crossover period before. Series guest appearances The two-part series opener saw the guest appearance of long serving character Lisa "Duffy" Duffin (Cathy Shipton), as she returns to Holby as an agency nurse. On her return, Shipton commented "I was surprised and delighted to be asked to recreate the role of 'Duffy' to launch the 30th series – especially as Paul Unwin, one of the original creators, was not only writing but also directing." Ben Harding (Mark Letheren), a counsellor who has appeared on-off since 2007, reappeared in episode 4 as Dylan's OCD storyline continued. Sarah Jayne Dunn, who appeared for five months in the previous series as con artist and Cal's ex-girlfriend Taylor Ashbie, returned in episode 7 as well as appearing in a special episode following it. Kerry Bennet made her first recurring appearance to the show in episode six, and along with Anna Acton and Grace Doherty, who made their first appearances in episode twelve, were part of a storyline which saw Dixie take center stage. The dramatic domestic abuse storyline conclusion saw events get out of hand and Jess and Olivia see Nikki for who she really was. After a hostage situation and dramatic fire scene, Nikki was arrested, as well as suffering severe burns. Episode sixteen saw the first recurring appearance of Cal's birth mother, Emilie Groome, portrayed by Carol Royle. It was also teased in Casualty's Christmas trailer that a few familiar faces would return, including Sam Strachan (Tom Chambers), Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry) and Grace Beauchamp (Emily Carey). Guy Henry appeared as Henrik Hanssen in episode 19. Hannah Spearritt made her first appearance as Mercedes Christie, a drug addict who beat up Noel in episode 23. She remained in the show as a recurring guest star for just over three months, making her final appearance on 30 April. In this time, her son and ex-partner were also introduced, as well as her drug baroness boss. In March 2016, a new trailer was released for Spring. In the trailer, characters such as Duffy and Henrik Hanssen can be seen to be returning after previously appearing earlier in the series. Additonally, Rita's ex husband Mark Richie returned following previous appearances in series 28 and 29. Cast : For a listing of character appearances in this series, see Character appearances#Series 30. Main characters Notable guest characters *Gregory Forsyth-Foreman as Louis Fairhead (episodes 1 & 2) *Cathy Shipton as Lisa Duffin (episodes 1 & 2, spring 2016) *Amy Noble as Kate Wilkinson (episodes 1, 2, 20 & 24) *Jack Daw as Scott "Rocker" Rosher (episodes 6 & 22) *Kerry Bennet as Jess Cranham (episode 6 - episode 21) *Grace Doherty as Olivia Cranham (episode 12 - episode 21) *Anna Acton as Nikki Chisom (episode 12 - episode 18) *Carol Royle as Emilie Groome (episodes 16 & 22) *Guy Henry as Henrik Hanssen (episodes 19 & 34) *Hannah Spearritt as Mercedes Christie (from episode 20) *Tom Chambers as Sam Strachan (episodes 23 & 24) *Emily Carey as Grace Beauchamp (episode 23 onwards) *Rosie Marcel as Jac Naylor (episode 23) *Elizabeth Croft as Emma Dufresne (episodes 23 & 24) *Catherine Skinner as Diane Stuart (episodes 25 and 26) *Joel Beckett as Mark Richie (from episode 31) Episodes Specials A special episode aired as a red button episode on 10 October 2015, straight after "Rules of Attraction". References Category:Casualty Series